Not Ready to Say Goodbye
by piccolloist
Summary: Bella is getting ready for her wedding, but what happens when a massive complication is thrown in? Will she still be able to walk down the aisle, or will everything be called off? I don't own any of these characters. Stephenie Meyer does
1. Contemplation

**Chapter 1**

The wedding is only a few days away. OMG! It seemed so far away and then it was like I blinked and suddenly the day has arrived. I am nervous and excited all at the same time. I can't wait to be a part of the Cullen family, but I am worried about how Jake will react to me when I am changed. I hope he won't treat me any differently. I know that is a lot to hope for, but a girl can dream. But I digressed. This should be a happy day and I know it will be. I will soon become Isabella Cullen.

"Bella? Are you alright?" The sound of his voice suddenly snapped me back into reality once more. I had not even noticed that I had completely spaced out.

"Yeah I'm fine Edward. I was just thinking." It has always bothered him that he has never been able to read my thoughts, but I like it better this way. This is one place I can go to escape the chaotic world. At least when I am deep in thought, everything somewhat makes sense.

"I always thought that I would get more used to the fact that I can't read your mind, but it only frustrates me more. Please love, tell me what had you so lost in thought."

He wasn't playing fair. He knew I could never resist those eyes of his and he always used that to his advantage. I know that I shouldn't have but I looked up from my hands (which I just realized that I had been twittling my thumbs) into those gorgeous eyes that I could never lie to. "I was just thinking about the wedding." Suddenly, his expression grew worried, so I knew I had to explain so he wasn't offended. "I was just thinking that I can't wait to become a part of your family and I can't wait for the big day to arrive." As I said this, he gave me that breathtaking crooked smile that made me melt like butter.

The rest of the car ride was silent. I stared out the window and thought more about the wedding. I was wondering how badly Alice was going to torture me with make-up and try to make me look like a doll. Today was the day where I was going to try on my dress for the final adjustments and we were going to experiment with my hair and make-up for the big day. I had been dreading this day from the very beginning. I was letting Alice loose on myself and I had no control over what she did to me. Well, my nightmare was about to begin. We pulled up in front of the gorgeous Cullen manor, which was soon going to become my home as well. As we pulled up, all I could see was something jumping up and down, which I immediately knew was Alice. Out of nowhere, Edward began to laugh.

"What is so funny?!" I was mad that he found this humorous, when it was completely the opposite.

"She is translating the Star Spangled Banner into french."

"So in other words, she is blocking you out again. Figures." As I was about to get out of the Volvo, she was already there.

"Damn right I'm blocking him out. I can't have him seeing your dress before the big day, now can I?"

With that, I was being dragged into the house, leaving Edward standing there laughing. When she heard him laughing, she spun around and said, "Laugh it up now bro. You're getting fit for your tux as well. Remember how you wanted to have a professional do it?"

He had stopped laughing, suddenly nervous. "Yeah...so?"

She suddenly got a devilish grin on her face. "Well Emmett insisted on doing it." He then got very suspicious, but I already knew what she had done and it took all my strength to not start laughing right there. He knew something was wrong.

"Wait a minute, he doesn't know how to sow!"

"Well, he thinks he does. He is really drunk so have fun!" And with that, Alice and me left a less than pleased Edward behind shooting death glares in our direction.

** Ok so I know that they can't really get drunk but I thought it would be funny if he did. **


	2. Night of Hell

**Chapter 2**

Before I knew it, I was up in Alice's room filled with different shades of eye shadow, blush, and lipstick. There were more hairpins on the counter than I ever thought could exist in this world. Before I even said anything, I was already seated in the chair facing the mirror. As I looked at myself, I knew Alice would make me look gorgeous, but I was wondering how much work was needed to be done one me in order to make perfect in her eyes. She stood there thinking and saying things like, "this may take a little while" and "where to begin". I was beginning to get worried that I was never going to be able to leave this seat. As I was getting more lost in thought again, Esme and Rosalie came in.

Being the mother that she is, Esme sees the worried look on my face and says, "Don't worry Bella. We won't keep you here too long and I will make sure she doesn't go over too overboard. I promise."

With that, Alice began to work her magic. 3 hours and 5 tries and 20 hairpins later, I was actually up to Edward's standards. I couldn't believe my own reflection. I would not have recognized myself. I began to cry because I knew that this was really going to happen and I was so happy.

"OH NO BELLA! DON'T CRY! YOUR MAKE-UP WILL RUN AND THEN WE WILL HAVE TO START ALL OVER AGAIN!" Alice was now running around trying to find a tissue to keep me from ruining her beautiful work. Esme and Rosalie couldn't help but laugh at this tiny pixie running around all flustered over the littlest thing.

After they had me try on the dress with the make-up and hair, I was finally allowed to put back on my regular clothes and I was given the ok to leave. As I was changing, I heard a soft laugh and I knew Edward was in the room, which was a very bad thing at this very moment. I turned around and I was immediately every shade of red you could ever think of. "How long have you been sitting there?" I quickly turned around trying to find where my shirt was. I was in jeans and my bra but it was still embarrassing.

"Only a few moments. I didn't see anything, much." He got up from the chair he was lounging in and came up behind to give me a hug. "Why are you so embarrassed, love?"

I couldn't tell him that I was uncomfortable with him seeing me half naked, because that would only make this more embarrassing and he would have way too much fun with that. "You just startled me. That's all." I said it with as much confidence as I could muster, but of course, he knew better.

He turned me around and once again I was starring into those topaz eyes that could make me say anything. He leaned down and I knew I was going to lose this battle very quickly. Be began kissing my shoulder and worked his way up my neck.

In between kisses he was able to ask in his velvet voice, "So what was making you embarrassed?"

My breathing was so rapid and uncontrollable at this point that it was kinda embarrassing, but I didn't care one little bit. I was going to enjoy this before he pulled away with some excuse about his self-control. "Um...I honestly can't remember." As I said this, I could feel him smiling.

His lips finally reached mine and they weren't very careful as they usually were, and that was fine with me. His hands were wrapped around my waist and I was moving mine up around his neck. I expected him to pull away, but he didn't. He pulled me closer to him and that definitely took me by surprise. Soon his tongue was tracing along my bottom lip. My head was seriously spinning and it was only spinning more as this continued, not that I was complaining. We had to break apart after a few moments to catch our breath.

"I should get you home. We don't want Charlie to worry about you. He needs as much time with you as he can get before the wedding." I was reluctant to break from this but I nodded in agreement. I found my shirt and we walked hand in hand downstairs and out to his Volvo.

As we drove home, I got to thinking that maybe Charlie was having a hard time coping with this. I have not been able to talk to him much since Edward and I announced we were engaged. Ever since we told him, Charlie has been either moping around the house saying things like "she's too young" or "I'm losing my little girl" or he has been with Billy trying to get his mind off things. Edward and I have been busy with wedding details, like picking out tablecloth colors and types of napkins. I would have preferred to do a small and simple wedding but I wanted to do everything right and I wanted Alice to have her fun. Alice and I always disagreed on these little things. She would ask for my opinion, but she hated my opinion so she just went with her own. What was the point in asking me if she wasn't even going to go with what I said?

When we did finally get home, I noticed something was wrong. Charlie's cruiser wasn't in the driveway. Edward noticed it too and even he looked a little worried. I quickly got out of the car and when I went to unlock the door, I found the door was already open. We walked through the door and headed into the living room. His nose was wrinkled and I only knew one thing that would make his nose do that...werewolves. I was wondering who it was. Sam? Seth? Or maybe...no it couldn't be. He is still 'missing'. We turned the corner and I took a sharp intake of breath. My eyes grew wide with fright while Edward was already growling next to me. Something about this didn't feel right.

"Bella, come have a seat."

**Sorry to leave you with a cliffhanger. I wonder who is there?? **


	3. Bad News

**Chapter 3**

Recap: "_Bella, come have a seat."_

Edward and I both walked cautiously to the couch. He already had his arm around my waist, ready to pull me back in case of an emergency. Billy Black sat down across from us. His face was so serious that it took me by surprised. I have never seen him this serious and it began to frighten me. I must have been completely pale because Edward had to whisper in my ear, "Breathe Bella." He was still growling but it wasn't as bad as before.

"Bella, I know that I am probably the last person you would expect to see in your house, but I have some bad news for you. It's about Charlie."

I suddenly took a sharp intake of breath. "What happened?! Is he ok?! What's wrong?!" The questions just came spilling out of my mouth before I could even think about what I was saying.

Billy looked at me with the most apologetic face I ever seen on him. "Your father was in a car accident. He was on his way to see me, but he must have been preoccupied because he ran into the guardrail. He is in the hospital, but he is in a coma. Bella, I'm so sorry."

I was sitting there trying to take everything in, but all I could do was sob. I leaned into Edward and started crying into his shirt. My salty tears were definitely going to stain it but I didn't care.

Edward pulled me into his lap and began to rub my back. "Shh love. It will be ok, I promise. Shh." He was doing his best to calm me down even though I knew he was probably using all his control to not attack Billy at this very moment.

I looked up at him and he was staring at Billy. He was shooting glares in his direction and I could tell Billy didn't like this situation anymore than Edward did. Finally, Edward looked down at me and I could tell there was concern in his eyes. I could feel myself begin to get lightheaded. I was glad I was sitting and not standing, otherwise this would hurt. The only thing I could say at this point was "Charlie..." Next thing I knew, everything went black.

When I woke up, I was laying in my bed. I looked out my window and it was dark outside. I didn't know how long I had been asleep, but I didn't care. I sat up, rubbing my eyes trying to get everything from blurry back to normal. When I accomplished that, I felt a cold pair of hands around my waist.

"Bella?"

"Hey Edward. I need to get up and go talk to Charlie. He hasn't seen me all day. He is probably worried about me." Edward gave me a confused and concerned look.

"Bella, what are you talking about? He's in the hospital, remember?"

I suddenly spun around and looked at him with a terrified look. "You mean that wasn't just a bad dream?"

"No, love. I wish I could say it was, but it wasn't." I could feel the waterworks start all over again. I leaned to Edward and began crying all over again. _Aw man, here we go again. I really need to get better control of my emotions, especially this crying. I hate having him see me like this._ I couldn't believe that I cried so much in one day. Edward sat there with me all night, like usual. He laid me back down and tucked me in and he laid next to me, humming my lullaby. After about another hour of crying, I finally drifted off back to sleep. Even in my dreams, I was crying. _This is going to be a long night._

I awoke the next morning with a very scratchy throat and very red eyes from all the crying. I sat up very slowly.

"Morning sleepyhead."

I looked next to me and there he was, right where I left him. He sat up next to me.

"How are you this morning?" I could tell he was worried that I would start crying again from the expression on his face.

"I think I've cried so much that I don't think I will ever be able to cry for the rest of my life." Both of us had to smile at that. He leaned over and kissed my forehead.

"Would you like to go see Charlie?"

I thought about his question for a moment. On one hand, if I went to go see him, I would probably start crying again, and I was tired of letting Edward see me cry. On the other hand, if I didn't, I would probably go to the Cullen's house and they would all offer me their sympathy and I would probably start crying. So either way, I was asking for more waterworks. But I needed to get my mind off of Charlie for a little while. "I think I may go see him later, but right now, how would feel about heading over to your house?"

"Are you sure?"

I looked into his loving topaz eyes for what seemed like an eternity until he finally leaned down towards me and began to kiss me. And it was a very persuasive kiss. We both got a little too into the kiss. My arms were around his neck and my hands were in his hair and he had me lying down on the bed with him on top of me, and yet I couldn't feel any of his weight. One of his hands was tangled in my hair while his other hand was on my waist. While we were kissing, he began to move his hand up and down my waist. I let out a slight moan into his mouth. I could feel him smiling. I needed to breathe and he could tell. He left my lips and made his way down my neck and my collarbone. I was trying to slow my breathing but it wasn't so easy.

In between kisses he managed to say, "We could just stay here and have a little bit of fun. No Charlie, no house full of vampires with excellent hearing."

I opened my eyes and he was looking back at me with a devilish grin spread across his face. "As much as I would love that, I have a feeling Alice would probably fill everyone in as to why neither one of us are there. And I assume you don't want your family to know the details, cause she sure as hell will be able to see them." Both him and I were trying to control our laughing.

"Alice has been trying to embarrass me for centuries and this would definitely do it. I really don't want to give her that satisfaction." With that he gave me one more long passionate kiss that had my head spinning and then let me get up to get ready.

We were at his house in no time. He cut off the engine was at my door before I could even blink. As we walked to his house, I remembered I hadn't asked him the one question that had been on my mind all morning. I abruptly stopped and he turned around and looked at with a very confused expression. It was kinda funny. "What happened after I passed out last night?"

He looked at me and was considering his answer very carefully before he spoke.

"Edward, please tell me."

"When you fainted, Billy looked at me and asked what happened. I told him that his news made you faint. He thought maybe I did something to you, but he didn't see anything wrong so he just left. He said he was sorry for what happened and he asked that I call him when you woke up to let him know you were ok. When you were changing and getting ready this morning, I called him and told him the plan and he said ok and that maybe he will see us at the hospital." I stared at him wide-eyed. "Bella?"

I had to shake my head a few times. "I can't believe he thought you actually did something to me." Him and I both had to giggle at this.

He leaned down and kissed me with just as much passion as this morning. I had already slipped my hands around his neck when I suddenly realized that I was cradled in his arms. I let a soft moan escape my lips as his tongue traced my bottom lip. I heard him let out a soft laugh. When we broke apart, he had my favorite crooked smile on his face and I couldn't help but blush.

He gently stroked my cheek and asked, "Ready to go inside?"

I thought about that for a minute. "Unless you want everyone to come out here and see us like this."

Him and I both laughed and before we could even walk through the door, I saw a blur run toward us and I suddenly realized I wasn't in Edward's arms anymore. I could hear Edward letting a growl escape his mouth but I realized the sound was becoming fainter. I noticed I was running away from the house and I saw Edward was close behind, but he had a smile on his face and the growl was a little menacing, but also playful. Next thing I knew I was on the grass underneath...


	4. Hide and Seek

**Chapter 4**

Recap: _Next thing I knew I was on the grass underneath..._

I was beneath a smiling Alice. She was having way too much fun scaring the crap out of me every chance she got. "Bella, are you ok? You look as white as a ghost?"

"Well, let me see. I was just snatched out of the arms of my fiancée by something I couldn't see!"

She was laughing at how pale and out of breath I was. I didn't find this in the least bit funny. I looked up and I noticed Edward doubled over laughing. I knew he couldn't see me so I stuck my tongue out at him. "Alice, can I get up now?"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry."

She got off from on top of me and held out a hand to help me up. I gratefully grabbed it. I looked over at Edward, and he was still laughing! I looked at Alice and all she did was roll her eyes. I looked at her and I said, "Ms. Cullen, how would you like to accompany me to your house. Away from a certain immature vampire I know?" I held out my hand with a silly little smile on my face.

"I would be glad to, Ms. Swan." She put her hand in mine and we both looked at Edward who was still laughing. And of course Alice, never passing up an opportunity to torture Edward, picked up a stick and chucked it at him. It hit his forehead and now both Alice and I were doubled over laughing.

He got an evil grin on his face and said, "Oh so that's how it's gonna be huh? Well I hope you can run fast Ms. Cullen."

Both Alice and I looked at each other with terrified looks on our faces and said in unison, "Oh shit." She threw me onto her back and next thing I knew, we were running back towards the house with Edward right on our tail. All 3 of us were laughing the whole time. I looked back again and I saw a blur of white run into Edward and he was gone.

"Alice, Edward isn't there anymore! Should we be worried?"

She turned her head and let out a laugh "No. He is just being delayed by my favorite person in the whole world."

_Jasper._

Alice and I ran into the house laughing the whole time. We looked at each other and we decided to hide from Edward. She ran into the kitchen and I ran to hide behind the couch.

"Jasper! I was going to beat them! Do you always have to help her?" Both him and Jasper were laughing.

"Of course I do. I will always help her when it comes to messing with you bro."

I had to try very hard to keep my laughs quiet, but I knew that wouldn't be easy. I thought maybe they didn't hear me laughing, but then it dawned on me, he could still hear my heart beat. _Crap. That is definitely not going to help at all._

"Edward, I'm gonna go find Alice."

"Ok." And with that, Jasper was gone.

"Bella?" I knew he was looking for me but I had to stay hidden. "I bet I know where you are."

I could hear the devilish way he said it. He thought I was in the bedroom. I couldn't but giggle at that. I peeked over the couch and I didn't see him anymore. I knew he ran upstairs. I sat back down and suddenly a pair of hands were around my waist and we were running. When we finally stopped, I was laying on the ground in the forest.

After about a minute of trying to catch my breath, I sat up to see if I could see who had dropped me off here, but I didn't see anyone. Next thing I know, I see a blur of white run from my left side to my right side in front of me. I heard a laugh that I would be able to recognize anywhere.

"Edward?"

"Yes love?"

I turned around and he was standing right behind me. I stood up and ran into his arms.

He laughed but hugged me back. "I finally caught you. And just so you know, I'm not letting go anytime soon."

"That's perfectly fine with me." And that was true. I never wanted to leave his embrace. "I thought I had you fooled. I saw you run upstairs and I thought maybe I would be able to hide from you. I guess not" Him and I started to laugh.

"Of course you couldn't, love. When Jasper left, I knew exactly where you were but I wanted you to think that I honestly didn't know where you were." He was having way too much fun with this.

"And what about what you said before you went upstairs?" I asked raising my eyebrow.

"Well, I knew where you were but I wanted to fake you out." I was impressed. He was trying to fool me while I tried to fool him. Great minds think alike I guess.

After just holding each other for a while, I asked him, "Ready to head back?" He looked at me and had that devilish smile on his face. Oh, God. What was he planning? "What are you planning, Edward?" I was honestly curious, and yet a little worried at the same time.

"Well, my whole family left to go hunting so you and I have the whole house to ourselves. How would you like to pick up where we left off this morning?" I was blushing so much.

I looked back up at him and I grinned just as devilishly and said, "Race you there." I started running towards his house when I felt his hands grab my waist and I realized I was being cradled in his arms and we were running towards his house.


	5. Fun Interupted

**Chapter 5**

Recap: _I realized I was being cradled in his arms and we were running towards his house._

He stopped running as soon as we reached the porch. Him and I were both laughing. I looked up into his loving eyes and he was smiling down at me. He slowly leaned down and his lips brushed against mine. My heart had already begun to race. He moved one of his hands to entangle it in my hair while I entwined my hands into his hair. Next thing I knew, we were standing inside his house. _Was the door already open or did he open it while we were kissing? Oh well, who cares._ I let out a slight moan and he had to a laugh a little. We finally broke apart and my head was spinning.

He looked at me with a devilish grin and I already knew what he was going to ask but he did anyways. "Want to have some fun?"

Instead of speaking my answer, I thought I would let my lips speak for themselves. I leaned back up and we were kissing again. I could feel air rushing past us and I figured we were on the way to his room. He gently laid me down on the bed with him on top of me. My hands were still entwined in his hair and I could feel one hand on my waist and another in my hair. He knew I needed to breathe, so he moved from my lips to my cheek down my neck down to my collarbone. I pulled his face back up to mine and I kissed him with as much passion as I had. I felt his tongue trace my bottom lip asking for entrance and, of course, I granted it. I felt his tongue in my mouth and it was the sweetest thing I had ever tasted. My hands moved from his hair down to his shirt. Without any problems, I had all the buttons undone. He shrugged out of his shirt and threw it on the floor. Next thing I knew, even MY shirt was off so I was only in my bra and of course my jeans. He rolled so I was on top of him. I heard him moan and that only got me even more excited. I moved from his lips down to his chest and I kissed his perfectly sculpted abs.

Right when I got to his pants, the phone rang. But of us let out an annoyed growl. I got up and answered the phone.

"Hello Cullen residence, Bella speaking. How can I help you?" I looked over at Edward who was very pissed off that we had to stop for a minute.

"BELLA! YOU NEED TO COME DOWN TO THE HOSPITAL RIGHT AWAY!"

I had to shake my head a couple of times. "Alice calm down. What's wrong?"

"BELLA IT'S CHARLIE! HE WOKE UP BUT CARLISLE IS WORRIED ABOUT HIM! GET DOWN HERE NOW!"

In all this excitement, I completely forgot about Charlie. "Ok Alice. We will be right there." I hung up the phone and I looked at Edward who had a worried look on his face. I couldn't move from the spot I was standing in so he got up and came next to me.

"Bella, love, what's wrong?"

"It's Charlie. He's awake but Alice said Carlisle is worried about him, which means something must be wrong. I need to go to the hospital and see him."

"Ok."

With that, we both found our shirts and we quickly put them back on and before I knew it, we were running to the hospital.

We got there in record time of course. We walked through the doors and Carlisle was waiting for us. He had a serious expression on his face, which got me even more worried.

"Carlisle! What's wrong?!"

"Bella, he has internal bleeding that, if not treated soon, he could die."

My face went completely pale and I felt the waterworks coming. _I can't lose him! He needs to be here for my wedding! I don't know what I will do if he dies! _Carlisle could tell that I was about to start crying again.

"Bella, I will do all that I can do. But right now, he's awake and I think you should go in there and talk to him. I bet he would love that."

He didn't have to tell me twice. I was already running down the hall towards his room, with Edward close behind me. Normally he would be next to me, but because I was so upset, I was actually able to run faster than him.

I got to his room and I looked in. I took a deep breath and walked in. Edward was by my side at this point holding my hand. We both looked at Charlie.

"Hey kids."

I wanted to cry. I ran next to his bed and gave him a hug. "Hey dad. Don't ever scare me like that again!"

He had to laugh a little. "I thought I was supposed to be the adult here. I guess not, huh?" I smiled at that.

Even Edward had a concerned look on his face. "How are you feeling Charlie?"

"I'm ok. I'm in a little bit of pain but it's not too bad. How are you two doing?" Even when he was in a hospital bed dieing, he was still worried about me.

"We're doing fine dad. We were both very worried about you when Billy came and told us what happened. Really dad. What were you thinking?!" I was mad that he was worrying more about the wedding than driving. If he was so worried about the wedding, all he had to do was come talk to me.

"I know Bella. I was just a little upset about the wedding and I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

"Good, because I can't afford another heart attack." The 3 of us had to laugh a little at this. Suddenly, here comes Carlisle. I was bracing myself for anything at this point.

**Another cliffhanger! I wonder what he is going to tell them. **


	6. What Are We Going to Do?

**Chapter 6**

Recap: _Carlisle enters Charlie's room about to give them all an update_

"Hello Charlie, Bella, Edward. As you know already, Charlie, you have internal bleeding which will have to be taken care of. The only problem is, even if this operation is a success, you will not be able to leave the hospital for another 3 weeks. Which means, you will not be able to attend the wedding."

Both Charlie and I had our jaws dropped. _He has to be at the wedding! He's my father!_

Carlisle and Edward both saw our expressions and immediately regretted telling us this. Carlisle looked at Edward and I could tell they were having a silent conversation. Whatever Carlisle asked Edward, he nodded in agreement. Charlie didn't seem to notice this.

"Um Edward, can I speak to you outside please?" Carlisle probably just wanted Charlie and me to be alone for a minute.

"Yes of course." Edward came and kissed my forehead and whispered in my ear, "I'll be right back."

They both walked silently out the door. I looked down at Charlie and he looked like he was on the verge of crying. I have never seen him so vulnerable before. "Dad, don't worry. You will be fine." I was trying my best to comfort him. Where was Jasper when I needed him?

"Bella, I can't miss my only daughter's wedding! I need to be there!"

Just as he was crying, I got an idea. "Dad, why don't we postpone the wedding until you are better! I bet Edward wouldn't mind at all." He looked at me like I had 3 heads. "What?" I honestly couldn't understand why he was giving me that look.

"Bella, it's not fair for you to have to postpone your wedding on my account."

While we were having this argument, little did I know that Edward and Carlisle were talking about the same thing. Both of them walked back in.

"Bella, Edward and I would like to discuss something with you. Will you excuse us for a minute Charlie?"

"Of course."

I gave him a kiss on the forehead. "Be right back. Don't die on me."

"I won't. I'm not ready to say goodbye just yet."

The 3 of us stepped out into the hallway. Both of them were looking at me and I had to lower my head to hide the blush. I hated being the center of attention. _How am I going to get through my own wedding when I hate people looking at me? All eyes will be on me the whole time. _I don't know how long we stood there in silence, but it felt like an eternity.

Edward was the first to break the silence. "Bella, I know how much you want your father to be at your wedding and to be the one to give you away, but the way I see it, we only have 2 options."

I was curious as to what he was thinking. _Wow, reverse of roles._ I was staring at Edward to explain, but Carlisle was the one who spoke up.

"Bella, we have two options. Option 1: we continue with the wedding as planned, but I can give you away if you allow me. Option 2: we postpone the wedding until after the surgery and wait until Charlie is healed enough where he can attend the wedding and give you away properly."

I listened to both options and both were excellent suggestions. "Carlisle, may I think these options over and give you my choice tomorrow."

He looked at me and gave me a fatherly smile. "Of course. I will go and fill Charlie in our little discussion and I will tell him about the choices I gave you. Thank you, both of you."

Edward and I turned to walk away hand in hand.

"Um, and please continue with whatever you both were doing before you were so rudely interrupted." He gave us a wink and both Edward and I looked at each other and we both were doubled over laughing.

Once he could control his laughter, he managed to say, "Remind me to thank Alice for telling him of her...descriptive vision."

I immediately stopped laughing and my face turned horrified. "She didn't! Did she?" All he did was smile and I took that as a yes. _I'm gonna kill her when I get home. First I need to find a bat._

On the car ride home, I was trying to think of the best ways to get revenge on little Alice. Edward must have noticed that I was distracted, because suddenly I felt a cold hand brush against my cheek. I jumped a little because I wasn't expecting it.

"Please Bella, tell me what you are thinking. This silence, is killing me."

I looked over at him and his glorious topaz eyes were pleading with me. He knew that was my weakness and he was definitely using that against me. _He never plays fair. But neither do I, so I guess we are even._ "I was coming up with the best ways to get back at Alice for filling EVERYONE in on our little...activity this afternoon."

He had to laugh at that. "Isabella Swan. I cannot believe, you of all people, are plotting revenge on your own future-sister-in-law. Have I ever told you that you are adorable when you plotting revenge." He brushed my cheek again and I could feel heat rising under his touch. "Whatever you are planning, count me in."

I couldn't believe that he was going to join me in getting revenge against her. "Edward Cullen, I am surprised at you. I never would have thought that you would ever want to take revenge out on one of your siblings." I was biting my lip trying to hide my laughter and he had a huge smile on his face.

"Well, Carlisle showed me the vision that Alice had and after that, now I will have nothing left for my imagination. She took all the fun out of it. I want to get that damn little perky pixie vampire back." Both of us were laughing so hard that our sides were sore.

As we pulled up into the driveway, a light bulb suddenly went off in my head. It was the most brilliant plan I think I have ever come up with. Edward looked over at me and he saw the devilish grin that was spread across my face and he knew what that meant.

"I was right. You are adorable when you are plotting revenge."

"Well if you think I am adorable when I am plotting it, you will think I am sexy when I tell you the plan." He had my favorite crooked grin.

"You are probably right. So what's the plan, Miss Swan?"


	7. Payback's a Bitch

**Chapter 7**

Recap: _"So what's the plan, Miss Swan?"_

I had already filled in Edward on the plan. He was laughing so hard and so loud that I thought he was going to break the windows of his precious Volvo.

"I love it! That will definitely teach her to mess with you. Remind me never to get on your bad side." Both him and I were laughing.

"Ok. Now come on. We have to get ready for her. We should also probably fill everyone else in on the plan. Maybe they will all help us." He nodded in agreement. I was about to get out the car when his voice startled me.

"Bella."

I looked at him. He looked so...human. He looked as though he was tripping over his own words. There was only one other time where this happened. But I highly doubt that this about the same thing.

"My family is going hunting tonight and..."

I cut him off. "Already? They just went today." He saw I was confused.

"Well they were out but then Alice got the vision of Charlie and everyone raced back home so they never got to finish. So needless to say, they all need to go back out."

I hadn't thought of that. That makes sense. I nodded to show him I understood and for him to continue what he was saying before.

"Well Bella...I know I said that we should wait...but I don't know...I mean since things may be delayed...and I really want to...I mean..."

I sat there with my jaw dropped. Was he actually saying what I think he was saying?? No. I must have been misinterpreting. "Edward, what are you trying to say?" I only then noticed that he had been staring down at his lap, avoiding my gaze. He looked up at me and I noticed his eyes. They were black, but not from hunger, at least not the normal kind of vampire hunger. Could it be...passion?

"Bella, I would like to try tonight while everyone is gone."

I looked at him and he was staring at me waiting patiently for my reaction. I got a huge grin on my face and leaned towards him and put my arms around his neck and hugged him. "Oh Edward!" I could feel him smiling and he hugged me back.

"Well, before we have our fun, Miss Swan, I believe we have a little bit of revenge to fulfill."

With that both of us got out of the car and we both ran to the house at HUMAN speed.

Sitting in the living room was the whole Cullen family, even Alice. Phase 1 of revenge...get rid of Alice.

"Ready?"

I winked at him to say 'let's do this.' "Hey everyone. Alice, Charlie asked when he was going to see you. He was looking forward to your visit today. He said he would be more than willing to see you tonight if you would like."

Her face lit up and she was already on her feet bounding around the living room. "Can I go Carlisle? Please Please Please!!"

_Wow. Who knew such a little thing could have so much energy. This was going to be way too easy._ Carlisle looked at me and I winked. He took that as a sign that something was going to happen.

"Of course Alice. Jasper, why don't you accompany her." Both Alice and Jasper were already on their feet.

"Of course. Come one Alice. Bye everyone." And with that, both of them were out the door and phase 1 was complete.

As soon as they were gone, everyone looked at us and wondered what was going on. Edward filled everyone in about what Alice had done to both him and me. He then told them about our plan. Everyone was laughing, including Carlisle. "Now, who would like to help us in getting a little revenge on her?" Everyone agreed.

As he was filling in everyone, I suddenly thought of a problem that I had not considered before. _Her visions!_ I was suddenly worried. "Wait a minute. What about her visions? Won't she see our plan?"

Everyone thought about that for a minute. None of us had factored that into our plan. Carlisle then looked up and he was laughing. How could he be laughing at a time like this?

"It's true that she can see the future. But Bella, how long has this been planned?"

"About 30 minutes at most. Why?"

"And have you been changing the plan at all?"

At that moment a light bulb went off in my head. "I got it! As long as I keep changing my mind, the vision will constantly change and she won't know what's going on. So that's the secret to keep this hidden from her. Keep changing my mind!" Now that I knew the secret, I would be able to get my wish. I would be able to pull the ultimate revenge prank on Alice.

About 2 hours later, everything was set up and both Alice and Jasper were home. _And so it begins._ Everyone was in place. Alice and Jasper came walking up to the house. They stopped on the porch to have a quick kiss. I hit the call button on the walkie-talkie. "Now Emmett." I whispered it as softly as I could. Next thing I knew, a bucket of water was dumper on the two of them, getting them completely drenched. They both stormed into the house and ran upstairs to their room to change, no doubt. Edward was immediately by my side as soon as the coast was clear. He scooped me up in his arms and ran me upstairs. Alice emerged from room as Edward and I rounded the corner. Alice looked angry and was the first to speak.

"What was that about?!"

I looked her innocently. "I don't know what you're talking about. Edward and I were in the kitchen and everyone is gone. Maybe it was a sudden downpour."

"I don't care what it was. All I know is Jasper and I are going to go join everyone else who are out hunting and leave you two the house."

Edward was the next to speak. "Alice, didn't they tell you? Bella and I are staying at her house so we can keep track of everything while Charlie is in the hospital. And we were hoping you and Jasper could stay here until everyone else got back."

She suddenly went from a pissed off vampire to her usual spunky self. "So you mean Jasper and I will be alone? With no one else in the house for the next few hours?"

Edward and I both laughed like we normally would. _This is working perfectly._ "Of course Alice. Unless you prefer that Edward and I stay here and you and Jasper go out and hunt with a bunch of cranky vampires." She was so happy right now. This was too easy.

"Oh no. It's fine. Well, I guess we will you see you later then. I guess it's time for you to go. Bye." She was literally shoving us out the door. She obviously couldn't wait for her alone time with Jasper. When we were out on the porch, she closed the door and we both could hear it lock.

Both Edward and I had to hold back our laughter. _This is working better than expected._

Both Edward and I went out and looked up at Alice and Jasper's room from the yard and we saw their light went out. _Right on cue._ I looked up at Edward and gave him a nod as a cue to go do his part. He was going to be scarred for life, and he knew it, but he was willing to take one for the time. I knew I loved him for a reason. I got on the walkie-talkie again. "Rosalie, you taping?"

"Yep, I'm getting everything on tape. This is gonna be good."

He snuck back into the house and walked quietly up to Alice's room. He waited until I got the ok from Rose to tell him to go in. I got it and I quickly got on "Now Edward."

He opened Alice's door right on cue. "Alice, I was wondering if you..."

Alice turned around and I could hear the scream from outside. This was just getting better and better by the minute.

"Alice, I'm so sorry. I didn't know. I'll just go." He closed the door just before Alice could forcefully throw a pillow in his direction.

Before long, he was by my side. "I am gonna need serious therapy after seeing that. I hope you know that."

I reached up on my tiptoes and kissed him. "I will make it up to you later. Promise." I saw him grinning. We both let out a quiet giggle. Then I remembered that there was one final part to my plot. I got back on the walkie-talkie for the last time. "Esme, Carlisle, ready to finish this?"

Esme was the one to answer. "Of course Bella. This is gonna be fun."

Just then Carlisle came on. "I hope you are paying for both Edward and my therapy session for this." I heard a loud SLAP! "Ouch! What was that for?"

"Oh, just shut up dear and come on. It's show time."

Edward and I couldn't help but giggle. "Remind me to thank Esme for finally smacking him. We have been wanting to do it for centuries."

Esme and Carlisle stood outside Alice's door quiet and just waiting for the perfect time. I gave them their cue and then they began their part in my plan. Esme was the first to speak. "Carlisle, I think I left it in Alice's room. Let's check there." She opened Alice's door and I could hear a scream. Who's it was, I wasn't sure but I knew everything was going as planned. "ALICE CULLEN! JASPER HALE! I THOUGHT YOU WENT OUT HUNTING WITH THE OTHERS!"

"MOM WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?! AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY ROOM?!" Alice and Jasper quickly covered themselves with the sheet while looking horrified at their mother.

"CARLISLE DON'T COME IN HERE!"

"Why not dear? ALICE CULLEN! JASPER HALE! YOU GET OUT OF THAT BED THIS INSTANT! GET DRESSED AND GO DOWNSTAIRS RIGHT NOW!" Then I heard the door slam shut.

Edward and I were doubled over laughing quietly to ourselves. This worked out better than expected. Everyone played their part perfectly. I needed to remember to thank them all.

As Jasper and Alice came downstairs, everyone came back from their 'hunting trip'. Before Rose, Edward and I went inside, we met outside. Rose gave me the tape and we put it in a case titled, "Newlyweds" (sorry I was watching E! and they were talking about Jessica Simpson and her show and I thought the title worked well for this story). "Rose, head inside."

They all went into the living room, making sure to keep an excellent poker face. Everyone sat down next to their significant other, except for Esme and Carlisle who stood in the center. Carlisle waited until we were all seated before beginning.

"Well, while you were all out, Esme and I discovered a certain couple that could not help but entertain themselves in everyone's absence."

Edward and I took this as our cue to head in. It was my turn to play my part. "Hey everyone! I found this great new show! Who wants to watch it with me? It's called 'Newlyweds'." I looked around and everyone agreed, except for Carlisle and Esme of course. _Good job guys. Play the parent roles. We are almost finished._

"Bella, now is not the best time."

"Oh, come on Carlisle. I heard it's really funny. I bet you will love it."

"Oh ok, fine. But as soon as it is over, we are going to finish our little meeting. Do I make myself clear?"

We all answered in unison, even me, "Yes, dad."

"Ok. Bella, the floor is yours."

"Excellent. Edward, can pop it in please?"

"Of course."

We all settled down and waited for the 'show' to play on the screen. Everyone, except for Alice and Jasper were preparing themselves for the funniest thing they have seen in centuries. _Revenge is sweet._ Everyone was settled and the movie began. We all started rolling on the floor laughing as we saw Alice and Jasper undress and hop into bed and become like rabbits. We were all laughing and so we all looked at the two of them and they were mortified. Alice was the first to speak, and of course, it was to me.

"You son of a bitch."

"Hey remember when you gave everyone a detailed description of what Edward and I were going to do that you saw in your vision? Well this was my version of payback."

"How did you know about the vision?"

Carlisle at that point cleared his throat and she understood who told. Her face then went from horrified to a smile. She and Jasper both started laughing along with the rest of us. We turned off the movie cause we really didn't want to watch it (for obvious reasons).

Alice and Jasper both took me outside to talk to me. Alice was the first to speak. "Bella, did you come with that whole plan on your own?" She didn't sound mad. She actually sounded...impressed.

"Yes I did. I figured this was a good form of punishment. You tell everyone about your detailed vision of Edward and me so we show everyone a video, an equivalent of a detailed vision, of you and Jasper. I figured this would even us out...for now." All 3 of us laughed.

"I'm sorry Bella. I don't know what I was thinking when I told everyone. But, I will say this. No one has ever been able to get revenge on me and I don't think that even if someone does, they will never be able to top this. This is better than anything I could have ever come up with. I'm impressed, Bella. Good job. And, I give you full permission to take revenge on me again if ever I am this stupid ever again. Deal?"

I was stunned by her words and I pulled her into a hug. I whispered into her ear, "Deal." I looked at Jasper and said, "No hard feelings right?"

He had a smile on his face so I knew I was forgiven. "Of course not Bella. I am impressed at how evil you are when you want to be. Remind me to stay off your bad side."

"Hmm, that's what Edward said too. What is the world coming to? Vampires afraid of a puny little human. This will forever be written in the history books."

All 3 of us laughed and walked back into the house to enjoy the rest of the evening.


	8. Alone

**Chapter 8**

When I got back into the house, everyone except for Edward had already left for their hunting trip. I came in and plopped down on the couch. He sat down next to me and I turned to ask him if he was going to go as well, when his lips suddenly attacked mine. This kiss was not as careful as they usually were. He pulled away so I could breathe.

He laughed quietly and said, "So are you ready to have some fun?"

I looked up and he had a devilish grin on his face. I really wanted to, but I was exhausted from getting revenge earlier. He could see that my eyes were drooping and I thought he would be mad, but he gave me a reassuring smile to say it was alright. He picked me up from the couch and carried me up to his room and laid me gently on his bed. He pulled the cover up over me and he laid down next me.

I was almost asleep when I heard him whisper "We have plenty of time to have our fun later. Sleep now and dream happy dreams." With that, I fell fast asleep.

I slowly opened my eyes and I looked at the clock. _9:00 am. Wow I must have been tired. _My eyes closed again, trying to tell me that I should go back to sleep, but I knew I needed to get up. I stretched, which, unfortunately, made me hit the floor. I hit the floor pretty hard and I knew I was probably going to have a bruise from that. Once I checked my body to make sure nothing was broken, something dawned on me. _Usually he would not have let me hit the floor._ Normally he was either laying next to me on the bed or was somewhere close by watching over me to make sure I was alright. I got up off the floor and looked around, but I noticed I was alone. _He probably just went downstairs to talk to everyone. Yeah, that's probably it._ I immediately went downstairs without even looking at myself or even doing my normal routine.

When I got downstairs, I could not find anyone. _This is really weird. What's going on? Well since I'm down here, I might as well eat some breakfast. _Lucky for me, they decided to stock up on food since I was going to be here for a couple of days. I got myself a Pop-tart and a glass of orange juice. I sat down at the table and tried to think of where everyone could be. I knew that everyone except for Edward went hunting last night but they should have been back by now and Edward should not be missing. Something didn't feel right about everyone just suddenly disappeared.

After I finished eating, I figured I should at least go upstairs and get ready for the day. _Maybe he is up there waiting for me._ I ran upstairs, of course tripping on the top stair, trying to get to his room faster. When I walked into the bedroom, my hope was quickly gone. I was alone. _Oh well. Maybe he will be back once I'm done._ I brushed my teeth, brushed my hair, and got dressed. I took one last look in the mirror before heading back into the bedroom. I looked over at the bed to see if he was there. My eyes became wide with surprise and confusion. There laying on the bed was...


	9. Kidnapped

**Chapter 9**

"Jacob?"

He looked over at me with a face that had so many emotions on it that I couldn't figure out which one he was feeling. I saw hurt, disappointment, concern, but most of all I saw sorrow. I slowly walked over to the bed and looked down at him with a face full of confusion. He looked up at me and gave me a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Jake, what are you doing here?" I sat down on the edge of the bed, and he sat up next to me.

"Well, I wanted to talk to you before you made the biggest mistake of your life."

I looked at him and the confusion instantly turned to rage. "Jake I know what I'm doing and this isn't..." Before I could even finish that sentence, he had already cut me off.

"Bella, I refuse to let you become a...a..."

"A what Jacob?! Go ahead you can say it. A _BLOODSUCKER_!" He looked at me with hurt eyes and my anger began to go away. I couldn't stay mad at my friend.

"Bella, I know you don't love me the same way I love you but I refuse to let you become one of them, so unfortunately I have no other option."

I looked at him, truly confused. "What are you talking about Jake?" He looked at me with apologetic eyes and I knew what he was going to do. He was going to take me away. I immediately jumped up and ran towards the door, hoping I could outrun him. _Stupid thought._ As soon as I reached the bedroom door, I was being thrown over his shoulder and we were already outside running. "JAKE PUT ME DOWN RIGHT NOW!" I was kicking and hitting him with all my might, but I knew it was no use. So, I did the only other thing I could think of, call for my knight in shining armor to come and save me yet again. "EDWARD! HELP ME!" I screamed at the top of my lungs for I don't know how long. Next thing I know, everything starts going black.

When I woke up, I looked around to see if I could figure out where I was. The room was completely dark. The curtains were closed so I couldn't look outside. _Well that doesn't help at all_. Once my eyes were completely open, I tried to move but I couldn't. I looked down and I realized I was tied down in a chair. Suddenly, there was a bright light that really hurt my eyes and as soon as it appeared, it immediately disappeared.

"Hey Bella. Sorry about all of this but I don't want to lose you." Jake came in with a plate of food and he sat down on a bed that was across from me.

"Why did you have to kidnap me Jake?! I would have liked to talk to you civilly, but I sure as hell can't do that now!"

"Bella, please calm down. Look, I love you and I don't want you to become my enemy. If you marry Edward, I will never be able to talk to you or see you ever again. And I know that I would never be able to survive without you."

I looked into his eyes and he looked as though he could break down crying at any moment. "Jake, we could still be friends afterwards. I know we could work something out. But did you really have to kidnap me? I mean, come on. You just gave Edward another reason to want to kill you." Both of us had to giggle at that.

"I guess I did act a little hasty didn't I? Do you think you could ever forgive me Bella?"

I thought about that for a minute so I could give him the most truthful answer. I was battling inside my head. _You can't forgive him! He kidnapped you and not to mention he tied you into a chair so you couldn't get away. But he did do this with good intentions. He just wants to keep me safe. _"Ok Jake. I will forgive you but under 2 conditions."

He looked at me and if he could, he would be bouncing off the walls. "Oh thank you Bella! Wait, what are the conditions?"

"First, you have to take me back to Edward's house."

"Done. What else?" _I am going to enjoy this one. _"Second, you have to explain all of this to Edward. You have to explain why you kidnapped me. And if, or should I say WHEN, he decides to punch you, you cannot fight back."

His happiness immediately went away. His eyes widened and I think he went into shock. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN I CAN'T FIGHT BACK?! THAT'S SO NOT FAIR BELLA!"

I had to cover my mouth in order to control my laughter. "Um, I'm sorry. Who was the bratty teenage werewolf who kidnapped me in order to prevent me from marrying my true love?"

"Ok, I guess I will deserve the punch. Well, I guess we better get back to his house before he sends out the search party. But before we go..."

He leaned in and kissed me. He put both of his hands on both sides of my head in order to keep my head in place. _I need to remember to tell Edward that he kissed me. I wonder if his offer to break Jake's jaw if he ever kissed me again is still in effect. Now that is a stupid question. Of course it is. _While he was kissing me, I completely shut down. I shut my eyes but I pretended to be a stone. When he finally backed off, I opened my eyes and looked at him through narrowed eyes. _Of only looks could kill._

"That is why I didn't untie you yet. I knew you would try to do something to me and I wanted to kiss you just once where you weren't able to do something to me."

"First off, I don't want to break my hand again thank you very much. And secondly, just so you know, I am not going to hold him back when he tries to break your jaw, DOG!" I gave him a fake smile.

"Well come on Ms. PMS. Let's get you back to your psychotic boyfriend." I cleared my throat. "I'm sorry. I mean _fiancée_." He added a lot of venom to that last word.

We got outside and he put me on his back and began to run back to the house. While we were running, I was thinking of every possible way that Edward was going to hurt Jacob. _This is going to be funny and yet very bad at the same time._ As we were nearing the house, I could see something outside pacing. _Edward. _I heard Jake growl a little. "Now now, you have to behave and besides, you deserve whatever he is going to do to you." I had to chuckle a little.

Once we broke through the clearing to where Edward could see us, Jake let me off his back. "EDWARD!" He turned around and saw me. His face was instantly relieved. I ran as fast as my feet could carry me. I ran right into his arms and I probably gave myself bruises but I didn't care. I looked up at him and he gave me that damn crooked smile again that took my breath away. But that smile suddenly faded once he saw Jake. _Oh no. All hell's about to break loose. This is not going to be good._


	10. The Fight

**Chapter 10**

Edward glared at Jacob and Jacob glared at Edward. Both of them were growling at each other and I could already see Jacob shaking, as if he was about to transform. I looked up at Edward and I had to take a step back because he actually looked like a vampire and it was kinda terrifying. I took both by hands and put them on either side of Edward's face and I made him look at me. "Edward, go easy on him. He had good reason for kidnapping me. He was just trying to protect me. Even though I don't agree with what he did, I don't want him to get hurt too badly." He looked at me like I was crazy.

"Bella, he stole you from me! I can't forgive him for that!"

"You're not going to kill him are you?" He looked at me with such loving eyes and he stroked my cheek and I could feel the heat rising and I had a feeling that I was turning every shade of red.

"Of course not, love. I won't kill him. I may break his jaw but that's about it." Him and I both giggled a little at that.

"Well I could give you another reason for wanting to break his jaw." He looked at me and his smile quickly left his face and he looked very angry again.

"What did that dog do?!"

I filled him in about the kiss and I could tell that as soon as I was done talking, there was going to be a fight. Once I was done, I looked at Jacob and he was still shaking, then I looked back at Edward and he looked PISSED! Then for some random reason, I looked over at the house and all of the Cullens were outside. I could see Carlisle writing things down, then I looked at Alice and she had out her wallet. _They are taking bets on who will win this fight. Why would anyone bet against Alice? Oh, but wait a minute, since a wolf is involved, does that mean that she can't see the outcome? Well, either way, neither one of these two will give up until the other one is dead. I am going to lose someone that I love either way. But who will I lose?_ I looked at Edward's family and they were all really nervous because they didn't know what the outcome would be.

I took a big breath and looked at the fight that was about to start. I looked at Edward and he was already crouched and ready to pounce and protect me. Then I looked at Jacob and he had already transformed into his wolf form. They were both circling each other. That's when I realized that if I didn't move, I would be in the middle of this fight. And I would rather not lose any limbs today. I ran as fast as my legs would carry me over to the house to watch the fight with my family. Jasper was trying to send out as many calm waves as he could. I bet all the emotions were driving him nuts! I felt sorry for him. I tried to calm myself so he wouldn't have to do much for me. I took another big breath and when I did, the fight began.

I watched as blurs were jumping at each other and I could hear cracks and howls but I could not figure out who was getting hurt and who made the sounds. It seemed as though the fight last for an eternity, but when I looked at my watch, it actually only last for about 20 minutes. Just when I thought the fight was over, I heard 2 loud howls. Both of them were howls of pain, so I left my family to see what happened. The fight had made its way into the forest so I had to look for some sort of sign as to where they were. I turned around and my family was right behind me. They weren't running ahead of me. They probably figured that I should be the first to see the damages. I found a bunch of broken trees and trails of blood. Suddenly, I found the clearing where the battle ended. I looked around to see what the outcome was. That when I saw the ending. I gasped at the sight. I could feel myself slipping into unconsciousness.

Before I was engulfed by total darkness, I could hear Alice screaming, "Bella? BELLA!!"

And with that, I went into a temporary sleep.

**Sorry, I know it's a short chapter but I wanted to leave you with a cliffhanger. muwahahaha!**


	11. Outcome

**Chapter 11**

I could hear voices talking around me but I couldn't understand what they were saying. The voices were kinda like background noise. All I could think about was the fight. I had to keep telling myself that the fight actually happened. I don't know how long I had been unconscious but I finally decided that I should probably start trying to come back. That's when I heard a couple of voices that I could pick out from a crowd.

"Alice, how long before she wakes up?" I recognized the musical voice as Carlisle's.

"She can already hear us but she won't actually open her eyes for another 30 seconds."

I had a feeling that all of them were standing around me but the only one that I cared about was Edward. "Edward, Edward?"

Alice was the one to answer, even though I was hoping for _his_ voice. "Bella, he's not here right now. He's down in the basement recovering from the fight."

I could feel tears already coming but I opened my eyes so I could see them. I looked around at their faces and they were all worried. Whether they were worried about me or Edward or both, I could tell they were upset about the whole situation. I looked over at Esme and she was dry sobbing while Carlisle tried to comfort her. Emmett was trying to hold back Rosalie. She looked really pissed off. Jasper was trying to send out calm waves to everyone while Alice sat next to me and held my hand the whole time.

"Alice, what happened? What was the outcome?"

She looked at me as if she was questioning whether or not I really wanted to hear it. When she noticed that I really needed to know, she took an unneeded breath and began to retell me the whole story. "Jake and Edward were battling but Edward didn't want the fight to come anywhere near the house so he forced Jake into the forest. Edward grabbed Jake by the leg and tossed him into one of the trees. Jake was folded in half when he hit the tree. Jake got back up and latched onto Edward's arm and threw him up into the air and then kicked him into the tree as well. Breathe Bella."

I don't know how long I had been holding my breath but Alice noticed it. Once I took a breath, she continued.

"Both of them continued to lunge at each other trying to rip each other, but both of them were one step ahead of the other. Finally, Edward heard in Jake's head that he was going to break a tree and use it to make an Edward and tree sandwich. So, naturally, Edward did the exact same thing to Jake. Unfortunately, the impact of the trees, it snapped Jake's back again and it broke his left leg. The impact only bent Edward's left arm backwards and he has a few scratches on his face. The pack came and got Jake, and they asked Carlisle to fix him up like he did last time. Then we took Edward downstairs into the basement to fix him."

I looked for Carlisle so I could ask him a couple of questions. "Carlisle, will Jake be alright? Does the pack know what happened? How mad are they?"

"He will be fine. He has to be on bedrest for a while. It's a good thing that I've already done this once so I know what to do. It was a lot easier to fix him this time. And yes the pack knows. I filled them in on what brought this fight on and I gave them details. They are a little mad but not at us, surprisingly. They are mad at Jake for doing what he did to you and then for fighting with Edward."

"Carlisle, can I see Edward please? Please?"

"If you feel you are up to it. He has been asking about you for a few hours but we had to wait for you to wake up. I made sure not to tell him that you passed out and I made sure not to think about it either."

I took it easy sitting up. As soon as I was sure that I would not pass out again, I stood up and walked into the house. I made my way down into the basement and once I opened the door, I saw his angelic face with scratches on his face. Once I looked into his eyes, I noticed they were still pitch black. And he looked like a true vampire. But once he saw me, he went back to normal, except for the eyes. I could tell that he was worried but he was happy to see me.


	12. What Happened?

**Chapter 12**

As soon as I locked eyes with him, I ran next to him (without tripping I might add). "Edward!" As soon as I got next to him, I looked down into his eyes. They were saying he was hungry, but his face was worried. He was laying on a bed with a small medical table next to him with tools on it. I could hear faint music so I scanned the room to see where it was coming from. There was a radio in the corner that was playing classical music (no doubt to try and calm him).

"Edward, I'm so sorry. None of this would have happened if I had just listened to you in the first place. I should have..." I was cut off by Edward putting his finger to my lips.

"Bella, I'm the one that should be apologizing. I left you to go hunting without telling you. I thought I would be back before you got up, but I was...delayed."

I could see the pain in his eyes. I knew there was more to the story (there always is). I could tell that he was debating with himself as to whether or not to tell me the rest. "Please Edward. What delayed you?"

"While I was hunting, Alice came and found me. She said I needed to come home right away because we had visitors. I asked her that if I went, would I be able to make it back to your house before you woke up and she said yes. So her and I went back to our house. Well the Denali clan was there, including Tanya."

He took a minute to calm himself. I could tell that he was getting mad just thinking about what happened.

" When I walked in, Tanya came next to me and she basically started flirting with me. I told her that I wasn't interested but she wouldn't take no for an answer. When I went to tell everyone that I was about to leave, they were all gone. I got up to leave anyways but Tanya somehow got me in here and locked me in. I tried everything to get out, really I did, but I couldn't. I tried yelling but that didn't help at all. Finally after a couple of hours, Alice came and found me and let me out. She explained that that wasn't the Denali clan after all. It was actually a coven of vampires where everyone's power is that they can transform themselves into anything or anyone they want to."

I gasped. I was worried. "Why would they transform themselves? Why wouldn't they just show up looking like themselves?" I was truly confused as to why they would go through all this trouble to confuse the Cullens.

"We found out who they really were. They were a coven that we had encountered when we in Alaska **(I don't remember if they were there before, but for this story, the Cullens have already lived in Alaska)**. We had a couple of problems with them and it caused us to move to Forks. We spent 20 years dealing with this coven. We were never able to find out what their power was. They were able to block their minds from me and they would never tell us what they could do."

Now I had even more questions for him. I hoped he wouldn't be too mad if I were to ask him. "Why did they even come here? What did they want?" When I saw his expression, he was concerned and worried. But he was also angry, but I don't think he was angry with me. But I can never be sure.

"Bella, they work for the Volturi. They came here because the Volturi know that we haven't changed you yet. The coven was sent here to take you with them to Italy and to...dispose of us."

I immediately could feel the waterworks start again. I saw Edward sit up and wrap his arms around me. I knew he was trying to calm me down by humming my lullaby, but it wasn't working. The coven came here for me but they knew the Cullens wouldn't let them take me. And since they already knew the Cullens, they didn't feel right about killing them, so they just put my family in places where they couldn't escape. But wait, if the coven's job was to come and take me to Italy, then how am I still here in Forks? I knew I was too weak to make it back upstairs and I didn't want to sleep by myself.

"Edward?"

"Yes love?"

"Can lay down here with you? I don't want to be alone." He looked at me and gave me that damn crooked smile. He put his hands on either side of my face and kissed me. It was short and sweet but it had a lot passion behind it. When we pulled away, he rested his forehead against mine as we slowed our breathing.

"Of course love."

I climbed into bed with him and laid down next to him. He started humming my lullaby and I knew I would fall asleep soon enough. But before I did, I continued to think about how I was still here and not in Italy. Then right as I figured it out, I could feel myself slipping into darkness.

_Jake..._


	13. Go Hunt!

**Chapter 13**

I woke up and rubbed my eyes to try and get the sleep dust out. _Wow, that was a weird dream. I dreamt Edward and Jacob fought and Jacob kidnapped me and Edward was hurt and..._Before I could finish that sentence, I looked around and realized I was downstairs in the basement. As I slowly became more awake, everything that happened in the past couple days came flooding back into my head. _Shit that wasn't a dream. _

"Good morning love."

I looked down at him and even though he was the one that was hurt, I was the one that needed to be comforted. As soon as I saw him, I began crying. _I hate crying this much. Where's the off switch? _He sat up and wrapped his cold arms around me. I put my head on his chest while he rubbed circles on my back. Even though I should have been cold, I was exceptionally warm and content.

"Bella, what's wrong?"

I lifted my head and saw that his eyes were full of concern and worry. I knew he would protect me and that was the problem. If he protected me, he and his family would get hurt. I couldn't live with myself if I knew that I was the one that caused them pain.

"Nothing. I just hoped that everything that happened was a dream."

"I wish I could say it was, but unfortunately it isn't, love."

While I looked into Edward's gorgeous eyes, I realized that he was hungry and I wasn't helping matters any at all. I knew he needed to go hunting. Carlisle had already told me that Edward could go as soon as he felt well enough.

"You need to go hunting. And don't say it's bearable because I can tell that it's not. Come on. You're going hunting right now. I don't want to have to use force but I will." I smiled at that last part. He gave me a devilish grin.

"I would LOVE to see you try, Miss human."

"You don't think I will." I smiled teasingly at him and he mirrored my expression. _Wait till he finds out that there is a way._

"Nope. I honestly don't think you can."

"Ok. You asked for it." I smiled up at him and then I turned my attention to the door. I knew I wouldn't have to yell very loud. "Oh Alice, Emmett." As soon as I said their names, Edward's eyes got wide and I knew I had him. I started laughing. Before he could protest, they were down there in a flash.

"Come Edward. You, me and Emmett are gonna go hunting. Maybe, if you are a good boy and come quietly, we can even find you a mountain lion." Alice was treating Edward like a little kid and it was the funniest thing to witness.

"But I thought we were gonna go hunting for grizzlies! You promised that next time it would be my turn to pick. I want grizzlies! I hate mountain lions. They are just huge cats that think they are the most perfect creatures in the world. I get enough of that from Rosalie. I was hoping to get away from that for a while."

As soon as Emmett finished his little tantrum, I noticed a blond haired blur running down the stairs. She stopped right next to Emmett, shooting him dagger glares with her arms crossed against her chest.

"Emmett Cullen I heard that!" Then with all the force she could muster, she slapped him across the face. He and the rest of us looked at her with wide eyes. We couldn't believe she just did that. "And just so you know, you are sleeping on the couch for the next 3 days and you are cut off for about a week."

I looked at her with wide eyes. She started walking over to me and I thought she was gonna make a rude comment but she actually said the funniest thing. Of course she whispered it so softly that I had to make sure I heard it correctly.

"You watch Bella. Emmett will be knocking on my door tonight begging for me to take him back. Keep them in line. If they screw up badly once and you punish them, they learn not to do it again. It's just like training a dog. Take notes. Who knows, you may need to discipline Edward one day." She winked at me and ran back up the stairs.

Alice, Edward and I were doubled over laughing. None of us could believe that Rosalie really just did that to Emmett. We would never let him live it down. And we would have and eternity to make fun of him for it. As soon as realization hit that Emmett wouldn't be having sex with Rosalie for a week, he ran up the stairs to try and find her to make her reconsider her punishment. Alice soon got a blank look on her face. When she finally came back, both Edward and her had smiles on their faces. I looked at both of them suspiciously. Alice was the one to explain.

"Well it seems that Rosalie stands her ground on some things, but not all. They will be at it in about 5, 4, 3, 2, 1." As soon as she said that, I could hear something hitting the wall and I hoped it wasn't what I thought it was.

"That isn't what I think it is is it?" Alice gave me a look as in to say _"Oh yeah."_ I shivered at the ugly mental picture. I would definitely need something to get that out of my head. _So much for cutting him off for a week._

"So Edward. You ready to go?"

He looked at Alice as if she had grown 2 heads. I started giggling knowing that she hadn't forgotten and I was grateful that she hadn't.

"Where are we going exactly?"

"Why, the 2 of us are gonna go find some mountain lions, seeing as how Emmett is...preoccupied at the moment." She had the biggest grin on her face and as soon as she said this, he looked at me and I couldn't control my laughter.

"You are the most devilish and evil person I have ever met. You are going to throw me into Alice's hands, which is like feeding me to the sharks, and you sit there laughing. I knew I loved you for a reason." Even at this point he had a smile playing at his mouth. He was trying to stay serious by trying to hold back a smile, but he was failing horribly.

Alice could see where this was going so she silently left the room to give us some privacy and I was grateful to her.

"I love you too." I leaned in to kiss him and before I knew it, I had my hands in his hair and his arms were around my waist. I could feel his tongue begging for entrance but I denied it. I was the one that had to pull away. I leaned my forehead against his as we slowed our breathing. "When you get back, we have unfinished business to attend to." I gave him a devilish smile and I saw that he understood what I meant.

"You do realize by you saying that, you just lit a fire under my ass to hunt even faster right?" He was smiling the same devilish grin that I was. He gave me one more kiss with just as much passion. "I will be back in 2 hours. And then...I think we need to find a way to make my bed have some sort of significance, instead of it just being a prop."

I looked into his eyes and even though they were black, I could see passion behind them. "Hurry back." And with that, him and Alice went out hunting. _Now I have 2 hours to make myself look all dolled up._


	14. Getting Ready

**Chapter 14**

_Ugh! I don't know how to make myself look girly! Where's Alice when I need her! Oh yeah. Out hunting. Duh Bella! _As soon as Edward and Alice left, I drove myself back to my house to get ready. I knew that I had 2 hours before he got back, which meant I had 2 hours to make myself look girly and sexy. The only problem was that that was something that would take Alice 10 hours, even with her vampire speed. I ran into the bathroom and took a quick shower and when I was done, I combed out my hair. I wanted to wait for my hair to dry a little before I attempted to add curl to it. I walked (more like ran) back into my room to find something to wear. _ I have nothing that works for this occasion! Unless he considers sweats and a T-shirt as sexy as lingerie, I have absolutely nothing to wear!_ While I was having my mental breakdown, I noticed a box on my bed. I walked over to it and noticed there was a card. I opened it and immediately started to giggle.

_Bella,_

_I know that you are probably running around your room right now looking for something to wear for your night with Edward. I had a vision of you running around your room like a headless chicken screaming that you had nothing to wear. I will admit that it was funny, but I figured I would be nice and help you out. Inside this box is the answer to your whole problem. Wear this and you will make Edward speechless...in a good way ;) Have fun._

_Alice_

I opened the lid of the box and I immediately was blushing the color of a tomato. Inside was a blue thong and a blue with black trim spaghetti-strap lingerie.

I looked it over and I made a mental note to thank Alice next time I saw her. I put it on and took a look in the mirror. _I don't look half bad! I'm impressed. I mean I wish it was a bit longer but hey, this will definitely help me get Edward to fulfill one of my demands tonight._ I looked at my watch. _Shit I only have another hour!_ I ran into the bathroom (only tripping once and even then I caught myself before I hit the ground) and started applying the make-up that Alice also included in the box. She was definitely trying to help me, even when she knew she couldn't be there. It still felt like she was standing there and telling me what to do. She gave me blue eye shadow, black mascara, and a light pink lip gloss. Once the make-up was on, I got out the curling iron that Alice gave me as a bridal shower gift. She had already taught me how to use it once so I vaguely remembered what to do. It took me a total of 15 minutes to curl my hair. I looked once more into the mirror surveying my work. _I bet Alice can see me. I hope she approves. I will hear about it tomorrow either way. _

Once I decided that there was nothing left I could do, I put on a white cotton robe and jumped back into my truck. As I was driving, my stomach was doing flips and I was really nervous. Even though Edward had said we were gonna wait until the wedding night to do this, I had almost got him to go all the way a few times. And tonight, his whole family was gonna be gone so we would have to whole house to ourselves. He said that since I was letting Alice do all of this to me and he knew I was trying to make everyone else happy, he said that we could see how things went tonight. I think the way he worded it was:

"Since we will have a whole house to ourselves and since you are so beautiful and you have me wrapped around your little finger, you may get one of your demands fulfilled earlier than expected."

Before I knew it, I was in the driveway of the Cullens. I looked at the house and I noticed all the lights were on except for the one for Edward's room. _I wonder what's going on. Maybe he just forgot to put his light on. Yeah that's it._ I got out of my truck and practically ran to the front door. They always keep the door unlocked since they will be able to get to the door in the blink of an eye if it was an intruder. I walked inside the house and quietly shut the door behind me. I looked around and everything seemed to be normal. I made my way upstairs to Edward's room to wait for him to get back.

Little did I know, he was already upstairs waiting for me.


	15. Fulfillment Comes With a Price

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

As I ran up the stairs to his room, my heart was pounding so hard that I was wondering if his family could actually hear it wherever they were hunting. When I reached his door, I slowly opened it and looked inside, expecting it to be completely normal. Boy was I wrong! There were candles on ever table and my lullaby was being played on the stereo. I silently closed the door behind me and walked halfway into his room and just dropped my jaw. I couldn't believe 2 things. 1: He got here before me and set everything up. And 2: He made his room look so romantic that as soon as I saw everything, it definitely set the mood (which was the effect I think he was going for).

"Do you like it?"

His velvet voice startled me. He whispered it so softly and seductively in my ear that it sent shivers down my spine. He took hold of my hand, raised it above my head, turned me and then dipped me. He brought me back up slowly and made it so our noses were about an inch away from each other. I whispered back just as seductively, "It's beautiful." I took that as my opportunity to capture his mouth. He was a little hesitant at first but that was quickly replaced with excitement. My hands were already around his neck and his arms were wrapped around my waist. He started leading me towards the bed. I soon was laying down with him on top of me.

"I see you dressed up for me tonight. But it seems as though I am a little overdressed here. I think we should remedy that." He gave me that crooked grin but it had a hint of mischevious behavior behind it.

I didn't look until now to see what he was wearing. He was wearing a blue cotton button down shirt and a pair of jeans. I captured his mouth again in a very passionate kiss. While I was trying to remember how to breathe, I worked on getting his shirt unbuttoned. It didn't take me too long. I got it off of him and just tossed it. I didn't pay attention to where it landed. _We will both have to try and find our clothes later._ He knew I needed to breathe so he moved from my mouth down my neck to my collarbone.

"This robe is somewhat in the way. I think it needs to join my shirt. It's kinda lonely down there." Both he and I had to chuckle at that a little.

We were kissing while he removed my robe and I opened my eyes to see what he thought. I looked up and his eyes were wide and he was at a loss of words. "Do you like it? Alice picked it out for me."

"You...she...amazing...wow...thank..." It was so cute to see him at a loss of words.

"I understand. I already made a mental note to thank her later. I guess you can be there as well." I gave him a wink and it took him a minute to remember what was going on.

"What was I doing?"

"I think you were kissing me."

"Oh that's right. I was doing so good until you distracted me." He gave me a mischevious grin. And I copied it.

Next thing I know he is laying down and I am on top of him. I look down into his eyes and they are just as nervous and excited as I feel. "I love you Edward."

"I love you too, my one and only love."

Nothing else was audible after that. ;)

I had the best dream last night. Edward and I actually had sex and yet it felt so lifelike. I slightly turned and I realized I felt a weight on my side and I could feel something poking my leg. My eyes shot open but I didn't move. _OH MY GOD IT WASN'T A DREAM!_ I looked behind me and there was Edward with no shirt on. And that was when I looked down and realized I didn't have any clothes on either. I immediately started blushing when I thought about what happened.

"Good morning love."

He kissed me so passionately that I forgot about what I was actually worrying about. When he finally let me breathe I was at as much of a loss of words as what he was last night. "Did we...do...what I th-think we did last night?" He gave me that crooked grin again.

"Yes we did." He then bent so he was whispering into my ear. "And it was amazing. I'm sorry that I never agreed to do that earlier. If I had known that it would be like that, I would have given in a long time ago."

His voice sent shivers down my spine. While we laid there relaxing, I could hear my phone going off. It was playing "Addicted" by Saving Abel. I got out of bed (with the sheet wrapped around me of course) and tried to phone my phone. _I put it in my robe and I guess when Edward threw my robe, it flew out somewhere._ I followed the sound but I could hear Edward laughing at the song. It fit so perfectly with last night.

I'm so addicted to all the things you do

When you're going down on me

In between the sheets

All the sounds you make with every breath you take

It's not like anything

It's not like anything

I'm so addicted to all the things you do

When you're going down on me

All the sounds you make with every breath you take

It's not like anything

I'm so addicted to you

Addicted to you

When I finally got to my phone the smile that I had, quickly disappeared and changed to dread. Edward noticed my facial expression as well. He suddenly lost his smile as well. I saw it was the hospital. I knew this wouldn't be good. I picked it up cautiously.

"Hello?"

"Bella?"

"Yes?"

"Bella, it's Carlisle. I have some bad news unfortunately. Your father passed away this morning."

I dropped the phone and everything went black.


	16. Author's note

Sorry it's taking so long to update guys

**Sorry it's taking so long to update guys. My grandmother isn't doing so well and she is almost to the point of becoming suicidal. I am also working on summer reading for school and I have been in and out of the dentist for different things. I am also going in to get my wisdom teeth pulled tomorrow. So as you can see, it has been a little hectic lately. I am working on the next chapter right now. I will post it ASAP. I might even give you 2 chapters since you have been so patient. Thanks for the reviews!**


	17. Finding out how it happened

**Chapter 16**

I knew I passed out. My mind was swimming with thoughts and I knew that when I finally opened up my eyes, realization would hit that I didn't have a father anymore. I really didn't want to experience that pain, but I knew I was going to have to face it at some point. I slowly made my way back into reality. I fluttered my eyes open and looking down at me was Edward with eyes filled with sadness and concern. Even though he wasn't on the phone with me when Carlisle told me the news, he could still hear anything due to his excellent vampire hearing.

"Bella? Bella? Say something."

What could I say, 'Did I dream that my father passed away?' No. I knew I hadn't and I didn't want to have to think about it right now. "I think we should get dressed and head down to the hospital." As soon as I finished that sentence, it was as if the realization that he was gone finally hit. The dam finally broke. My eyes started to glaze over and I could feel the tears coming. I didn't want him to see me crying so I jumped up from the floor and immediately ran into the bathroom and locked the door. I knew he could break down the door and come in if he really wanted to but I knew he wouldn't.

"Bella? Please let me in. Bella, it will be alright, I promise."

I could hear the sincerity in his voice. He knew how attached I was to Charlie and he knew this would take me a little while to get over. I just laid down on the bathroom floor and cried my eyes out, again. I couldn't understand how this happened. When we went and saw him last time, he didn't look great, but he didn't look like he was on the verge of dieing. It just didn't make any sense whatsoever. I don't know how long I had been crying, but after crying for what seemed like an eternity, I finally let the darkness overcome me. I drifted off into a place where things were kinda normal.

**Dream:**

My dad and I were sitting at the kitchen table and just talking. We were laughing and it didn't even look like he had been in the hospital. Then our laughter stopped when Edward somehow appeared in the doorway. We both looked up and Edward gave me the crooked smile and he came and sat down at the table with us. All three of us started talking and laughing again. Then the sun started to go down and I made dinner and Edward excused himself so he could go home to 'grab something to eat'. Charlie and I sat there and ate and when I was clearing up the table, he got up and came behind me and turned me around and embraced me in a very loving hug. I was taken aback but I returned the hug. Then he said something that made tears come to my eyes. "Bella, I know I don't say it that often but I want you to know that I love you and no matter what happens, I will always love you and don't ever let anything make you think that what I'm saying now is false. I care about you kid and even if I die, God forbid, I will always watch over you."

As soon as he said these words, the dream started to fade away. My eyes opened slowly and I looked around. I was still on the bathroom floor. I got up from the floor and my back and legs were a bit stiff. I stretched until I could actually move a little. I looked in the mirror and I almost didn't realize who the reflection was. The person's hair was like a haystack and it was sticking out in all different directions. The eyes were red and swollen. The nose was bright red and it was dripping. After I looked at the reflection for a few minutes, I realized that the unrecognizable person standing there staring back at me was actually, well, me! I quickly washed my face and brushed my hair in attempt to at least myself look somewhat presentable. I looked at myself once I was done and when I figured I couldn't do anymore, I unlocked the door and walked out. Outside the door, Edward was pacing back and forth. "How long have you been pacing?"

"Since you went in there 5 hours ago."

5 hours? Had I really been asleep that long? "How about we go get dressed and we head over to the hospital?"

He looked at me to check and make sure I was stable enough to go. "If that's what you want."

He gave me a crooked grin and put his hand on my cheek. I knew there were still tears on my cheek so he was wiping them away. I went into Edward's room and just put on a pair of his sweats and one of his t-shirts. He was already dressed so as soon as I was done, we got in his Volvo and drove to the hospital. When we got there, Carlisle was already waiting for us at the doors. We walked in and Carlisle immediately pulled me into a hug. At that point the dam broke again. _Damn dam. _"Carlisle, what happened? Why did he die? I thought you said the surgery was going to work?"

"Bella, the surgery was a success, but there was a complication. Yesterday before I left, he was watching the baseball game. I told him that he couldn't make any sudden movements otherwise the stitches would tear and he could be back in the same problem as last time. He promised that he would listen to me. Before I walked out the door, I told the nurse on duty to make sure he listened to me. I left and I got a call from her about 20 minutes later. She was hysterical and said I needed to get back right away. I turned around and drove back. I drove as fast as I could but it wasn't good enough. Bella, I'm so sorry. By the time I got here it was already too late. He had tried to sit up to scream at the TV and that movement ripped the stitches and he died from the loss of blood. Bella, words can't even describe how horrible I feel. If I could have only driven a little bit faster maybe he would be alive right now. I hope that one day you will be able to forgive me for not being able to save him."

I was staring at him with wide eyes and I could feel the tears rolling down my cheeks. _Why couldn't he take care of himself and listen to Carlisle for once! He is so stubborn! If he had listened, he would be here with me now._ I was sad that he was dead, don't get me wrong, but I was pissed as hell that he hadn't listened to Carlisle like he was supposed to. Now that he was dead, I knew I had a lot of planning to do. I had to call a funeral home and make arrangements, I had to call Renee and tell her the horrible news. And then there was one other thing that I was dreading more than anything else…I have to clean out his house and put the house up for sale.


	18. The funeral

**Chapter 17**

Today was going to be a horrible day that would never end. Today is Charlie's funeral. I have already stocked the house with all the boxes of tissues that I could. I think the total came out to be about 25 boxes. After the funeral, everyone was coming back to Charlie's house for refreshments. The viewing was going to be very hard to sit through. I did as much as I could to make it as nice as possible. Alice and I had made a photo album with pictures of him from when he was a baby all the way up until the day he died. It was really nice and I couldn't think of anything that he would have loves even more. There weren't going to be many people at the funeral. There were going to be a few police from the station that were going to show up, Billy Black was coming, all the Cullens would be there, Renee and Phil were coming as well.

All week, when I wasn't worrying about arrangements that I needed to make, I was with the Cullens. They were doing everything they could to keep my mind off of Charlie's death. They were doing an excellent job. Edward would take me out to the movies, Emmett would TRY and teach me how to play football (all I could do was catch the ball and then Edward would come and I would jump onto his back and we would run around Emmett and score a touchdown), Alice took me shopping (of course), Jasper would send me calm waves constantly, and even Rosalie was being nice. Carlisle stayed at the hospital all the time. I told him I forgave him but he was still mad at himself. Esme would cook for me.

They were distracting me so well that at one point, I even forgot that he was gone until I was a complete and total idiot.

**Flashback:**

Emmett, Edward, and I were playing 'football' and it was about 6 o'clock at night. We had been playing since about 2 o'clock. Edward and I had just scored a touchdown. I was actually on the ground laughing my ass off while Edward was holding onto a tree to keep himself from falling over. Emmett was throwing a tantrum because he said that Edward and I weren't playing fair and that the last touchdown didn't count. He looked like a 5 year old that wasn't getting his way. He was stomping his foot and he was ranting and raving. When I was finally able to control my laughter I glanced at my watch. I saw that it was 6pm. I got up and started walking towards Edward's Volvo. Edward stopped laughing and Emmett stopped yelling. They both ran to catch up with me. Edward was the first to speak up.

"Bella, love, where are you going? Weren't you enjoying watching Emmett act like the baby that we all know he is?" Even as he said this he was trying to fight back a smile. Emmett just shot death glares at him and tried to punch him in the arm but Edward dodged it.

"Of course I was, but I need to go and get some food to bring to Ch…" As soon as I started to say _his _name I stopped walking and I started breaking down crying. I was so used to bringing food to him at the hospital that it was like a habit.

**End flashback**

I was sitting on my bed looking at a photo that was taken of me and Charlie with the camera that Renee had given me for my birthday. I could feel tears rolling down my cheeks. His face was so full of life and he was so happy. I never thought I would be sitting here right now having to bury him because of his stubbornness. There was a soft knock on my door and then Edward poked his head in and gave me a crooked smile. Normally it would have taken my breath away but it was already gone.

"Bella, it's time to go."

"Ok." I put the picture down and we headed to the funeral home.

When we got there and we walked into the room, I stopped breathing. There he was, laying in the casket looking so peaceful. He was wearing a black suit with a dark blue tie. Edward took my hand and gave it a small squeeze and we slowly made our way toward the casket. I stood there and looked down at my father and the tears were coming in buckets. I took my hand and caressed his cheek. It didn't really both me that I was touching my dead father, it probably should have but it didn't. Edward and I left the casket and walked to the table where the sign in book was. I signed my name: Bella Swan, Charlie's loving daughter. Then Edward signed his name: Edward Cullen, Charlie's loving son-in-law. When I saw that, I looked up at him and I couldn't hide the huge smile that was playing on mouth. Edward smiled back and winked. Once we were done at the sign in book, we went to take a look at the photo album. Alice said she was going to make some changes. We opened it and flipped through it. Then we got to the last page. It had the title: The Happy Family. It was a picture of me, Edward, and Charlie. I felt the tears coming again. I didn't even know that there was a picture of the 3 of us together. It was beautiful. Since Edward and I were the first 2 there, we took our seats up front.

About 10 minutes later, all the police came in and walked up to the casket and placed his badge and nametag in there. Once they paid their respects, they came up to me top offer their condolences. Next, Billy Black rolled in. He brought Charlie's fishing pole with him. He didn't put it in the casket but he did put it next to it. _I'm going to make sure that before they close the casket that they put it in there. _Once Billy said goodbye, he came over to me and offered his condolences as well. Finally, the rest of the Cullens came in. Alice had her head hanging the whole time. She never looked up from the floor. All week she had been blaming herself for Charlie's death. She was mad that she hadn't seen it. If she had, she figured he would still be alive. I told her I didn't blame her, but she was still upset. If she could cry, she probably would have been.

Once everyone took their seats, the priest started reading from the Bible. I probably should have been listening, but I couldn't. All I did through the whole memorial was stare at Charlie. I had never seen him so peaceful before. Once the memorial was done, they were about to close the casket. "Wait." Everyone looked at me because none of them had heard me speak this whole time. I stood up and I grabbed the fishing pole and I placed it into the casket. Once I did, I stood back and gave them a nod as a sign that it was okay to close it.

The funeral home was at the bottom of a hill and the cemetery was up the hill. We all left the home and we had to drive up the hill to where he was going to be buried. There were giant metal vaults that had stone all around it. Charlie had chosen to not be buried in the ground. What they do is they remove the stone plate that has the person's name on it, their date of birth, their date of death, and you could also pick a symbol or a picture to be put on there as well. He chose a picture of me and him to be put there. Once they remove the plate, the push the casket into a hole in the vault. Then once the casket is as far back as it can go, they put the plate back on. I insisted that I watch them put him in there so I could say my final goodbye. Once they put the plate back on, they left. I told everyone to head back to his house and I would be there shortly.

"Charlie, I know we fought a lot but I always loved you. I never hated you, contrary to the way I acted sometimes. When I found out you were in the hospital, I felt my heart break into a million pieces. Then when Carlisle told me you passed away, I felt like the ground beneath my feet had been pulled away from me. You once told me that you weren't ready to say goodbye and yet here you are. You left me without a goodbye. Ever since the day I found out you left, I have had a hole in my heart that will never go away. I will miss you and I promise to come here as often as I can. I will stand here and make a fool of myself by talking to a stone." I had to laugh at that a little. I took a deep breath and finished what I had to say. "I love you Ch…dad. I will miss you. Never forget that I love you and I always will."

"That was beautiful Bella."

I turned around and there Edward stood. He had a small smile on his lips. "I didn't think anyone was listening." I used my sleeve to wipe the tears away as fast as I could.

"I know he loves you too. And that's not because I can read minds. I know that it will take some time for you to be able to be able to move on, but please believe me when I tell you that I will be here for you. I will always be here for you."

Once he finished, he leaned down and kissed me. It wasn't one of those kisses where you start making out. It was a kiss to tell me that he loved me and that he would always be there to support me and help me through anything. When we broke apart, I leaned my forehead against his. I didn't want to leave but I knew I needed to. "Come on. We need to get back to the house. There's a whole bunch of people in his house and I left Emmett in charge."

He moved his head back and looked at me like I was crazy. He was trying to fight back a smile and a laugh. "Bella, I know you have been depressed lately but what in God's name would possess you to leave Emmett, of all people in charge of your house?"

I was trying just as hard as him to hide the smile and laugh but that didn't work. Thinking about Emmett in my house and having him be in charge of making sure everything went smoothly made me bust out laughing. "What the hell was I thinking?! We need to get over there before something gets broken by him."

We were still laughing even as we left the cemetery. Even though we just buried my father, I knew in this moment that no matter what happened next, I had a loving family and friends that would protect me and help me get through this.

* * *

**I just wanted to add this little message to the end of this chapter. I was crying as I was writing it. ****This chapter holds a lot of sentimental value for me. I wanted to put a little bit of my personal life into this chapter. **** My family and I buried my grandfather last year and we made a photo album of him from when he was a baby up until the day he died. There weren't many people at his funeral either. A lot of things that we did for him at his funeral, I incorporated into this chapter. The suit was the same, we out my grandfather's medals into his casket (he was in WWII) and we buried him the stone vault as well. The only difference is that he has a picture of him and my grandmother as the symbol on the plaque. So what I am trying to say is that what I described about Charlie's funeral is very similar to my grandfather's funeral. Even when I wrote that Bella was looking at a photo before the funeral, that's what I did before my grandpa's funeral. **


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